LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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Shelf -J 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



HOW TO STUDY 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL LESSON 



5ov Headers anx) $)upifo 



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J. H. ROSECRANS 

State Sunday-school Evangelist of Texas. 



_ Jul 20 188?V 



CINCINNATI 
STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

1887 

Copyright, 1887, by J. H. Rosecrans. 



< s 




" Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that 
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth " (II. 
Tim. ii. 15). 



CONTENTS. 

Part T. 

Page 

What to Study £ 

Part II. 

How to Study 12" 

Part III. 

Study of a Lesson 16 

Part IV. — Selections. 

1. Principles of Bible Interpretation 28 

2. Lesson Building 33 

3. Plan and Purpose of the Sunday-school 36 

4. Teaching Primary Class 39 

5. The English Bible 42 

6. Ten Temperance Lessons 46 



How to Study a Sunday- 
School Lesson. 



PART I.— WHAT TO STUDY. 

i. The Writer. — (a) Study his contempo- 
raneous history. This will help in understand- 
ing his character. 

(b) Study his style of writing. This will 
be an incentive to the study of the lesson, and 
at the same time make a lasting impression on 
the mind. 

Take the history of Moses and Paul, and 
their writings, as examples. 

2. The Persons Addressed. — We should 
study their lives and characters, for the reason 
that by so doing we can better understand the 
different methods of instruction employed for 
different classes of persons. Thus, instruction 



6 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson, 

suited to the Jew was often inapplicable to the 
Gentile. The same can be said of the believer 
and the unbeliever. 

3. The Design of the Writer. — The de- 
sign must be understood in order to comprehend 
what is written. 

The design may pertain to the whole book, 
as is seen in John xx. 31: "But these are 
written that ye might believe that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of God." It may pertain to 
only a part of the book. (See I. Cor. xiii.) 
The design of Paul in this chapter is to show 
the power and benefit of love. 

4. The Period of the World's History 
to which the Writer Refers. — Three princi- 
pal ages mark the world's history ; viz. : The 
Patriarchal, the Jewish and the Christian ages. 

Each age had its political, social and relig- 
ious peculiarities, institutions and customs, that 
should be studied in order to understand God's 
dealings with mankind. 

5. The Life and Character of Each In- 
dividual Mentioned. — The lives of men furnish 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. y 

experiences, the study of which will be profit- 
able. See Phil. iii. 17: "Brethren, be ye fol- 
lowers together of me, and mark them which 
walk so as ye have us for an ensample." 

We need to study these to have a right un- 
derstanding of the events recorded. 

Take, for instance, Moses in Egypt ; also 
Abraham, David, Peter and Judas. 

6. The History of Events. — The history 
of events is recorded for our instruction and 
example. See I. Cor. x. 1-11, but particularly 
the nth verse: "Now all these things hap- 
pened unto them for ensamples : and they are 
written for our admonition, upon whom the 
ends of the world are come." As another ex- 
ample, take the death, burial and resurrection 
of our Saviour. 

7. The History of the Places Mentioned. 
— Such a study will aid us in remembering the 
many events recorded in the word of God. For 
instance : Egypt — Israel in bondage. Bethle- 
hem — The birth of Christ. Bethany — The 
raising of Lazarus. 



8 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

8. Obsolete Words. — Many words have 
passed into entire disuse. See wot, in Gen. 
xxxix. 8 ; also trow, in Luke xvii. 9. 

Other words, by modern usage, have lost 
their original meaning. For instance, prevent, 
in I. Thess. iv. 15, and charity, I. Cor. xiii. 

9. Illustrations. — "The righteous shall 
flourish like a palm tree ; he shall grow like a 
cedar in Lebanon " (Ps. xcii. 12), are illustra- 
tions. See also Ps. i. 3, 4 ; Matt. xix. 24. 

We should be careful not to overdraw the 
comparison between the illustration and the 
thing illustrated. 

10. Interpolations. — By comparing the old 
version with the new, we will find many inter- 
polations in King James* translation of the 
Bible. For example, I. John v. 7 is an inter- 
polation. See also Acts viii. 37. 

11. Figurative Language. — Ascertain 
whether the passage is to be taken literally or 
figuratively. There are different kinds of fig- 
ures : Metaphor, Simile, Allegory, Parable, 
Type, Hyperbole, Synecdoche, Metonymy, etc. 



Hoiu to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. y 

(a) Metaphor. — A metaphor is a short simili- 
tude. Thus, <4 I am the vine, and ye are the 
branches." " I am the Good Shepherd, and ye 
are the sheep." 

(b) Simile. — A simile differs from a metaphor 
in having the word of comparison expressed. 
Change the above as follows : "I am like the 
vine, and ye are like the branches." 

(c) Allegory. — An allegory is a figurative 
application of real facts. See Gal. iv. 22-31. 
Verse 24, " Which things are an allegory," etc. 

(d) Parable. — A parable is a representation 
of something real in life or nature from which 
a moral is drawn. See Matt. xiii. : " And he 
spake many things unto them in parables, say- 
ing, " etc. 

(e) Type. — A type is a figure or representa- 
tion of something to come. Thus Melchisedec, 
in his office of priest and king, was the type of 
Christ, who was the antitype. 

(/) Hyperbole. — Hyperbole is an extrava- 
gant expression, which exaggerates the mean- 
ing to be conveyed. See Luke xiv. 26: "If 



io How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson, 

any man come to me and hate not his father, 
and mother, and wife, and children, and breth- 
ren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he 
can not be my disciple." See also Ps. cxix. 
139; Phil. iii. 7, 8. 

(g) Synecdoche, — A figure by which the 
whole of a thing is put for a part, or a part for 
the whole. See Matt. iii. 5, 6: "Then went out 
to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the re- 
gion round about Jordan, and were baptized in 
Jordan, confessing their sins.'* 

(h) Metonymy. — Metonymy is the exchange 
of names between things related. It is founded, 
not on resemblance, but on the relation of — 

(1) Cause and effect ; as, "They have Moses 
and the prophets," i. e. y their writings. 

(2) Progenitor and posterity; as, "Hear, O 
Israel," i. e. y descendants of Israel. 

(3) Sign and thing signified ; as, palm 
branches are a symbol of joy after victory 
(Rev. vii. 9). The horn is a symbol of power. 
Tree of life is a symbol of immortality (Gal. 
iii. 22). 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. n 

1 2. The Meaning of Words. — As passover, 
Pentecost, charity, etc. 

13. Parallel Passages. — A fuller meaning 
can be obtained by the study of parallel pass- 
ages. The marginal references will give the 
principal ones of these. 

14. The Context. — To determine the full 
import of the lesson, it may be necessary to 
:study the context. 



PART II.— HOW TO STUDY. 

i. With Bible in Hand. — Make the Bible 
the text-book. Use a reference Bible, and this 
will enable one to find the parallel passages. 
Use both the Old and New Versions, and see 
the different styles of expressing the same 
idea. 

2. With Helps. — 

(a) Commentary. — Do not ignore the opin- 
ions of Bible thinkers; at the same time, re- 
member that their opinions are but the opinions, 
of fallible men, and must not be taken in 
preference to the Scriptures. Use them only as 
helps to a better understanding of God's word. 

(b) Bible Dictionary. — Used as an aid in giv- 
ing the meaning of names, and also the 
sketches of the lives of individuals. 

(c) Bible Concordance. — A concordance is 
an index to Bible words, and will aid in finding 
the principal words. 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. rj 

(d) Maps. — Maps will aid the mind in lo- 
cating Bible places and countries, and are 
needed in the study of the lesson. 

3. Read the Lesson over Carefully, and 
then the Context. — This will give the scope 
and design of the writer. 

4. Compare the Old and New Testa- 
ments. — One will interpret the other. 

5 . Study Systematically. — Do not study at 
random — here a little and there a little. Aim 
to have a connected view and a critical under- 
standing of the ideas contained in the lesson. 

6. Study with a Purpose. — 

(a) In Order to Know. — There is great satis- 
faction in being able to say "I know." It is 
better still to heed. "If ye know these 
things, happy are ye if ye do them " (John 
xiii. 17). 

(b) To have the Approval of God. — See II. 
Tim. ii 15 : " Study to show thyself approved 
unto God," etc. 

(c) In Order to be Saved. — See II. Tim. iii. 
15 : " And that from a child thou hast known 



i j. How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

the holy Scriptures, which are able to make 
thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is- 
in Christ Jesus." 

(d) To Save Others.— -"He that winneth 
souls is wise" (Prov. xi. 30). See Jas. v. 20. 

7. Study to Find Christ in every Lesson. 
— Jesus is the central figure of both the Old 
and the New Testament. 

8. Search for the Practical Truth 
Taught, illustrated, or enforced in the lesson. 

9. Study with Self- application. — When 
the truth is discovered, see what bearing it has 
upon present duty. 

10. Begin Early in the Week. — When 
the mind is clear, vigorous, unencumbered, 
and in a condition to receive impressions. 

11. Study at Home. — Where you have 
your own time to devote to the lesson, and 
helps for sufficient investigation. 

12. Study Alone. — When not liable to in- 
terruption. Then you can best have the con- 
trol of your powers. 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. ij 

13. Study with Others. — Accept all the 
assistance that comes from a willing source. 

14. Study every Day. — Keep the mind 
actively engaged upon the lesson ; let us give a 
portion of our time to divine things. 

15. Keep in Mind a Lost and Dying 
World. 

16. Study Prayerfully. — Ask God's bless- 
ing upon the study of the lesson. 

17. Study Earnestly. — Be in earnest in 
the investigation of the sacred Scriptures, re- 
membering that God's eyes are ever upon us. 

18. Study with a willing Heart and 
Mind. — Not as if it were a task imposed upon 
us ; but because we love the word of God, and 
desire to be benefited and to benefit others. 



Part III.— STUDY OF A LESSON. 

Note. — Part III. is not intended to fully illustrate Parts 
I. and II. From it the learner will form an idea as to how 
to proceed with their further application. 

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. 

Hebrews vii. 

1 For this (a) Melchisedec, king of (a) Gen. xiv. 8, etc. 
Salem, priest of the most high God, who 

met Abraham returning from the slaughter 
of the kings, and blessed him ; 

2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth 
part of all ; first being by interpretation 
King of righteousness, and after that also 
King of Salem, which is, King of peace ; 

3 Without father, without mother, (2) (2) Gr. without ped- 
without descent, having neither beginning ■* 



of days, nor end of 


life; 


but 


made like 








unto the Son of God ; 


abid 


sth a 


priest con- 








tinually. 














4 Now consider 


how 


great this man 








was, (b) unto whom 


even 


the 


patriarch 


w 


Gen. xiv. 


20. 


Abraham gave the tenth of the 


spoils. 








16 















How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. iy 

5 And verily t] they that are of the (c) Num. xviii. 21, 
sons of Levi, who receive the office of the 

priesthood, have a commandment to take 
tithes of the people according to the law, 
that is, of their brethren, though they 
come out of the loins of Abraham : 

6 But he whose (3) descent is net (3) Ox, pedigree. 
counted from them received tithes of Abra- 
ham, (d) and blessed (e) him that had the (d) Gen. xiv. 19. 

promises. * om : l \ x 3 5 

r Gal. 111. 16. 

7 And without all contradiction the 
is blessed of the better. 

8 And here men that die receive tithe? ; 

but there he receiveth theni, (/) of whom it (/) Ch. v. 6, and 
is witnessed that he liveth. %1 * 

9 And as I may sj say, Levi also, who 
receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. 

10 For he was yet in the loins of his 
father, when Melchisedec met him. 

11 (g) If therefore perfection were by (g) Vers. 18, 1 9 ; 

the Levitical Priesthood, (for under it the GaL ™" 2I; ch ' 

vm. 7. 

people received the law,) what further 
need was i/iere that another priest should 
rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not 
be called after the order of Aaron ? 

12 For the priesthood being changed, 
there is made : :y a change also of 



18 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

1 3 For he of whom these things are 
spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which 
no man gave attendance at the altar. 

14 For it is evident that (h) our Lord (h) Isa. xi. 1 ; Matt. 
sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses ^'J e . "*; 
spake nothing concerning priesthood. Rev. v. 5. 

15 And it is yet far more evident: for 
that after the similitude of Melchisedec 
there ariseth another priest, 

16 Who is made, not after the law of 
a carnal commandment, but after the power 
of an endless life. 

17 For he testifieth, (i) Thou art a (i) Ps. ex. 4;ch.v 
priest forever after the order of Melchise- ' ' 

dec. 

18 For there is verily a disannulling of 

the commandment going before for (k) the (k) Rom. viii. 3. 
weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 

19 For (/) the law made nothing per- (/) Acts xiii. 39 ; 

feet, (2) but the bringing in of [m) a better 2&™mAvui. i 

hope did; by the which (n) we draw nigh Gal. ii. 16; ch. 

unto God. ' "' 

(2) Or, but it was 

20 And inasmuch as not without an ^ e Ringing in. 

oath he was made priest : ( m ) Ch - vi - l8 > and 

viii. 6. 

21 (For those priests were made (3) (^) Rom.v. 2; Eph. 

without an oath ; but this with an oath by n - i8,and iii.12; 

ch. iv. 16, and 
him that saith unto him, (0) The Lord x# l g m 

sware and will not repent, Thou art a (3) Or, without 



Hoiv to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. ig 



priest for ever after the order of Melchise- swearing of an 

oath. 
dec : ) (o) Ps. ex. 4. 

22 By so much (/) was Jesus made a (/) Ch. viii. 6; ix. 

. A IS, and xii. 24. 

surety of a better testament. J ' 

23 And they truly were many priests, 
because they were not suffered to continue 
by reason of death : 

24 But this man, because he contin- 

ueth ever, hath (4) an unchangeable priest- (4) Or, which pass- 

eth not from one 
hood - to another. 

25 Wherefore he is able also to save 

them (5) to the uttermost that come unto (5) Or, evermore. 

God by him, seeing he ever liveth (q) to (q) Rom. viii. 34; 

I. Tim. ii. 5 ; I. 
make intercession for them. John ii I 

26 For such an high priest became us, 

(r) who is holy, harmless, undefiled, sepa- M Ch. iv. 15. 

rate from sinners, (s) and made higher (J) Eph. i. 20, and 
. _ iv. 10; ch. viii. 

than the heavens; x 

27 Who needeth not daily, as those 

high priests, to offer up sacrifice, (/) first (t) Lev. ix. 7, and 

xvi. 6 1 1 * ch. v. 
for his own sins, («) and then for the peo- ~ ^ n( ^ ^ * 

pie's: for (x) this he did once, when he («) Lev - xvi - *5- 

ff (x) Rom. vi. 10; 

offered up himself. ch> ix# I2> 28> 

28 For the law maketh [y) men high and x » 12 « 
priests which have infirmity ; but the word 

of the oath, which was since the law, 

maketh the Son, (*) who is (6) consecrated ^\°^ "' ^ and 

for evermore. (6) Gr. perfected. 



20 How to Study a Sunday-scJwol Lesson. 

CONTEXT. 

(/) " Whither the forerunner is for us (f) Ch. iv. 14 ; 

, T . , j , • ■ viii. 1, and ix. 

entered, ei-en Jesus, (£-) made a high priest 

24. 

forever after the order of Melchisedec " {g) Ch. iii. 1; v. 

/TT , 6, 10, and vii. 

(Heb. vi. 20 ;. ' 

u Xow of the things which we have 

spoken this is the sum : We have such a 

high priest, (a) who is set on the right (a) Eph. i. 20; Col. 

hand of the throne of the Majesty in the ' ' V •'• ° ' 

J J x. 12, and xn. 2. 

heavens; a minister (7) of (^)the sanctuary, (7) Or, ^* holy 

and of (<:) the true tabernacle, which the ,,v q^'j- § I2 

Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. viii. 24. 

Ij2) . toCh. ix. 11. 

Study— 

1. The writer of the book. 

2. The persons addressed. 

3. The time when written. 

4. The design of the writer. 

5. The design in this chapter. 

6. The context. 

7. The lives of the persons mentioned. 

8. The places. 

9. The events. 

10. The orders of priesthood. 



How to Study a Sunday school Lesson. 21 



1 1. The types. 

12. The parallel passages. 

13. The practical thoughts. 



44 MELCHISEDEC. " 

Opinions as to who he was — 

1. An angel. — Origen and Didymus. 

2. A man of Canaan, King of Jerusalem. — 
Hippolytus, Eusebius of Csesarea, Eusebius of 
Emesa, Apollinarius, and Eustathius of An- 
tioch. 

3. Shem. — The Jews, Jerome and Luther. 

4. The Holy Ghost. — Hieracas the Egyp- 
tian, Epiphanius, and by a branch of the The- 
odosian heretics, founded by a younger Theo- 
dotius, and called Melchisedecites. 

5. The Divine Word. — Marcus Eremita, 
Ambrose and Hattinger. 

6. Ham. — Jurien. 

7. Enoch. — Hulse and Calmet. 

Note. — There are no just reasons for believing Melchis- 
edec to be a supernatural person, for he is classed with the 
other kings as a living historic personage. He, no doubt, 
was a Canaanite. 



22 How to Study a Sunday-school Lcssoji. 

"without father, without mother." 

Without a recorded father or mother; with- 
out genealogy. A common expression in those 
days, even with classic writers. It was applied 
to one who was an orphan ; to one who had 
been disowned by his father; to one whose 
father was unknown. 

Among the Jews a family record was kept, 
so that every one could tell to which tribe he 
belonged. 

Every Jewish priest could trace his geneal- 
ogy back to Aaron, and if there was a missing 
link it vitiated the whole succession. 

The legitimacy of every Levitical priest de- 
pended upon his genealogy, but not so with 
Melchisedec. 

"without descent." 
Without a recorded pedigree. 

" NEITHER BEGINNING OF DAYS NOR END OF LIFE." 

There was no record of his birth, nor of his 
death; no limit to his priestly days or office. 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 23 

The time of the Jewish priests' ministration was 
called their days. See Luke i. 23. 

•'ABIDETH A PRIEST CONTINUALLY." 

Continued a priest all his life — no limitation 
to his priestly days. 

LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD. 

Set apart (Ex. xxviii). Consecrated, (Ex. 
xxix). Duties (Lev. i. 5-17; Num. iii. 32; 
Deut. xxxi. 9: Jas. iii. 3; I. Kings viii. 3). 

CHANGE OF LAW. 

We are not under law, but under grace. 
Herein is our hope as Gentiles. 

CHARACTER OF OUR HIGH PRIEST. 

"Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from 
sinners, and made higher than the heavens." 

THE PRIESTHOOD OF MELCH1SEDEC SUPERIOR TO 
THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON. 

1. It was independent of tribal relations. 

2. He had no successor in his priestly office. 



2 j. How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

3. His priestly functions were not confined 
to any one nation. 

4. He unites with his priesthood a kingly 
power. 

Note. — The priesthood of Christ is like the priesthood 
of Melchisedec in every one of the above particulars, conse- 
quently his priesthood was superior to the Levitical priest- 
hood. 

THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST SUPERIOR TO THE 
PRIESTHOOD OF MELCHISEDEC AND AARON. 

i. Superior because of his own personal 
greatness. 

(a) He was the Son of God. 

(b) He was sinless. 

2. In the kind of offering made. 
He offered himself. 

3. Because of the place where he made his 
offering. 

(a) He entered heaven itself. 
{b) He made his offering in the presence of 
God. 

4. Superior in the appointment. 
Made a priest by God's oath. 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 25 

5. Christ's priesthood was the substance, 
Melchisedec and Aron's the shadow. 

6. Superior in its benefits to man. 

(a) The sinners can go direct to Christ for 
mercy. 

(b) He thus receives actual pardon. 

OBSERVATION. 

As Abraham was returning from the rescue 
of Lot, a venerable man, who was at once the 
king of Salem and the priest of the Most High 
God, met him, and blessed him in the name of 
the Lord. Touched with the dignity of his 
character and office, Abraham bowed before 
him, and paid him tithes of all the spoils of 
victory. Thus, for one instant of that far-off 
history, Melchisedec flits before us, and disap- 
pears. But that momentary vision was a 
prophecy of the priesthood of Christ in its 
royal preeminence and its unchanging virtue. 
No record is left of the family of Melchisedec, 
his birth, his kindred, his death ; he stands be- 
fore us in the grandeur of his character and 



26 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

office, and in his immediate relations with the 
Most High — king of righteousness, king of 
peace — without father, without mother, without 
descent, having neither beginning of days nor 
end of life, but made like unto the Son of God. 
After almost two thousand years, this typical 
character reappears in perfection in the person 
of Christ, made a priest, not according to a 
changeable human law, but by the power of an 
endless life ; consecrated by the word of Jeho- 
vah for evermore. 

All the meaning of the sacrifices was 
summed up in his death — no more offering for 
sin is needed, no other could be made. The 
perfection of his own nature attaches also to 
his work of redemption. But, though the 
atonement was finished upon the cross, the 
other function of the priesthood, that of inter- 
cession, is in constant exercise by Jesus, seeing 
he ever liveth. What encouragement to prayer, 
what assurance of sympathy and help, what 
confidence of salvation, are given in the fact 
that he who so loved us that he came to die for 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 2J 

•us, lives, with all his human tenderness un- 
changed, to intercede for us, to succor ancf to 
save us ! 



PART IV.— SELECTIONS. 

PRINCIPLES OF BIBLE INTERPRETA- 
TION. 

BY DR. LYMAN ABBOTT. 

Looking at the Bible from the human side,, 
we should remember that it was 
Written, ^ 

Translated, ^ 

Printed, J 

Hence, the following points should be ob- 
served in its interpretation : 

(i.) Have a well printed Bible. "The 
Teachers' Bible" of the American Tract So- 
ciety, and " Bagster's Bible," are the best. 

(2. ) Get at the best translation, a. By study- 
ing it in "the original," if possible, b. By 
comparing the received translations with the 
new translations that are appearing, c. By 
comparison also with the French and German 
Bibles, especially "Luther's Bible." d. By 

23 



How to Study a Sunday school Lesson. 29 

examining modern commentaries, through 
which those who are without scholastic training 
can get at the true rendering. 

(3.) Ascertain if you have a correct copy. 
There are from 120,000 to 800,000 varia- 
tions in the various copies of the Bible, mostly 
unimportant typographical errors, and not one 
of them affecting any Bible doctrine. I. John 
v. 7, is now universally allowed to be an inter- 
polation. These errors may be discovered by 
referring (a) to Tischendorf s Greek Testament, 
or (b) some critical commentary. 

(4.) Study the peculiar circumstances of the 
writer of any passage under consideration. 

(a) Ask ' ' Who is it that speaks in this pas- 
sage '?" A Universalist preacher took as a text 
to preach against future punishment, Gen. iii. 
4 — "Thou shalt not surely die," — the words of 
the devil. A judge once said in a charge to 
the jury, "We have the highest authority for 
saying ' skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath 
will he give for his life.' ' The papers next 
day called attention to the fact that these words 



jo How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

were spoken by the devil, adding, "Now we 
know who the judge regards as the highest 
authority." 

(B) Ask what is the cJiaracter of the passage. 
Law? Poetry? History? Philosophy? Why 
not interpret the poem in Judges v. 20, by the 
same prose laws that so many apply to the 
poem in Josh x. 13 ? 

(c) Ask * ' What is the temperament of the 
writer or speaker ?" Rom. ix. 3 is to be read in 
the light of Paul's vehement nature, not used 
as a prosy statement of a necessary principle of 
didactic theology. So John vi. 53, 63 is to be 
read with Christ's illustrative temperament in 
mind. 

{d) The general aim of the writer should also 
be kept in view. 

(e) We must put ourselves in the place of the 
original hearers or readers, remembering their 
customs and prejudices. In reading the twenty- 
third Psalm, if w r e have before our minds New 
England sheep unprotected, unguarded, and 
given the roughest of pastures, instead of the 



Hoiv to Study a Sunday-school Lesson, jr 

Oriental flock and fold, we shall have anything 
but pleasant views of God as our Shepherd. 

(f) Compare Scripture with Scripture, to find 
the real Bible meaning of words and phrases. 
See Jas. i. 27, and Matt, xxiii. 23 ; Rom. xiii. 
9, and Matt. xxii. 37-40; John xiv. 28, and 
John x. 30. 

{g) Take the plain and simple meaning of a 
passage. Ingenious interpretations are usually 
dangerous. 

(h) Allow for yourself , your prejudices, etc. 
The Calvinist reads Philippians ii. 12, 13, with 
all the emphasis on verse 13, while the Armin- 
ian accents verse 12, and reads verse 13 very 
lightly. 

Apply these principles to Matt. xvi. 19. 

1. Spoken by Christ. 

2. Temperament. 

3. General aim. 

4. Comparing Scripture. 
Therefore — 
Authoritative. 

Poetic. 



$2 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

Enfranchisement of man. 

" Keys "=power. 

" Kingdom '^allegiance. 

"Bind and loose "=forbidden and permit- 
ted. 

Meaning : — 

11 1 will give the power (keys) in thy life of 
allegiance to God (Kingdom of God), so that 
what you forbid yourself shall be forbidden, 
(bind) and what you permit yourself shall be 
permitted (loosed)/ Compare Rom. viii. i. 

Looking at the Bible from the Divine side, 
we add two further principles of interpretation. 

(a) The object of the Bible (II. Tim. iii. 16) 
prompts the question in our interpretation, 
u What spiritual effect am I to get or give from 
this passage? 

(b) The author of the Bible, being God, es- 
tablishes the principle that its utterances are to 
be viewed as absolute truth. — Christian Union. 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson, jj 
LESSON-BUILDING. 

Note i. As Sunday-school teachers, we should aim to build up 
the spiritual character of our pupils. (See Concordance on " Build," 
" Edify," etc.) 

Note 2. We are to build up spiritual character by means of the 
Word of God. "The word of his grace, which is able to build you 
up " (Acts xx. 32). 

Note 3. Owing to the immense size of the Bible, and the relation 
of its several parts to each other, it becomes necessary to select cer- 
tain portions, sections, readings, or lessons, that the whole of it may be 
made "profitable" to us. 

Note 4. As we build a scaffold that we may build a house, so 
must we build up lessons that we may most wisely and effectively, by 
means of the truth, build up the spiritual character of our pupils. 

Definition. 
Lesson-building is that preparation or ar- 
rangement of the contents of a Scripture lesson 
which will best aid the teacher in leading his 
pupils to earnest thoughtfulness and self-appli- 
cation in the simple reading of God's word. 

Note 5. Lesson-building is therefore but a means to an end. The 
end proposed is the most profitable reading of God's word. 

Note 6. Lesson-building comprises: 1. A Collation of Parallel 
Passages. 2. A Careful Analysis. 3. A Wise Adaptation. 

I. — A Collation of Parallel Passages. 

1. The same incident narrated, or the same subject 
treated, in other parts of the Bible. 



j/f. How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

2. Similar incidents, teachings, etc., in other parts of 
the Bible. 

II. — A Careful Analysis. 
i. Its words and phrases. 

(i) Their ordinary use in common English. 

(2) Their ordinary use in Bible English. 

(3) Their signification and use in the original language 
of the Bible. 

2. Its historical elements. 

(1) Persons. 

(2) Places. 

(3) Actions and expressions. 

(4) Time. 

(5) Connection with previous events of Bible history. 

(6) Connection with the later events of Bible History. 

(7) Connection with secular or profane history. 

(8) Peculiarities of ancient manners and customs. 

(9) Supernatural peculiarities — miracles, 

3. Its doctrinal elements. 

(1) Concerning God. 

(2) Concerning Man. 

(3) Concerning Redemption. 

4. Its practical elements. 

(1) Concerning Duties to Self. 



How to Study a Sunday-scJwol Lesson, jj 

(2) Concerning Duties to Man. 

(3) Concerning Duties to God. 

III. — A Wise Adafiation. 

1. Selecting the most available portion of 
the lesson thus prepared. 

2. Arranging this portion for the work of 
teaching. 

3. A plan of adaptation. 

1. The " Title " of the lesson, to connect it with pre- 
vious lessons, and bring it clearly before the mind. 

2. The " Topic " of the lesson, to state in condensed 
form a great truth contained in it. 

3. The ''Golden Text" of the lesson, to express that 
great truth in Scripture language. 

4. The " Outline " of the lesson, to aid in the mastery 
of all its facts. 

5. The " Questions" by which teachers and pupils may 
test their knowledge of these facts. 

6. The "Selected Verses," which may easily be com- 
mitted to memory. 

7. The " Lesson Hymn," to fix in the mind by means of 
sacred poetry the great truths of the lesson. 

8. The " Doctrine," which may connect the deeper 
teachings of the lesson with a system of divinity. 

9. The " Final Reading " of the entire lesson in a 



j6 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

versational, practical and devout manner, for purposes of 
immediate spiritual edification. 

Note j, This scheme of lesson-building (which is merely sug- 
gestive, and but one out of many) maybe condensed and expressed, for 
.the benefit of young teachers, as follows : 

Collect Parallel Passages. 

Consider Difficult Words and Phrases. 

Classify Persons and Places. 

Examine Allusions to Time. 

Examine Actions and Expressions. 

Examine Historical Connections. 

Study Peculiarities [Manners and Miracles], 

Study Doctrines and Duties. 

Select Principal Truths to be Taught. 

Fix upon A Plan of Teaching. 

Fasten well Title, Topic, Golden Text, etc. 

Finally, Read the Lesson Devoutly. 



THE PLACE AND PURPOSE OF THE 
SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

i. What the Sunday-school is not. [Con- 
sult the several texts indicated.] 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson, jy 

First Statement : The Sunday-school is not 
a substitute for the Family. Deut. vi. 6-9 ; 
Deut. iv. 9; Prov. xxii. 6; Eph. vi. 4; Deut. 
xi. 18-21 ; II. Tim. i. 5. 

Second Statement : The Sunday-school is not 
a substitute for the Pulpit. John xx. 21; Rom. 
x. 13-15; Isa. Hi. 7, 8; II. Cor. v. 17-21; 
Mark xvi. 15. 

Third Statement: The Sunday-school is not 
a substitute for the other religious meetings of the 
Church. Heb. iii. 12, 13; Mai. iii. 16; Acts i. 
13, 14; Eph. v. 18, 19; Matt, xviii. 19, 20. 

2. What the Sunday-school is. 

Fourth Statement : The Sunday-school is 
that department of the Church of Christ in which 
the word of Christ is taught for the purpose of 
bringing souls to Christ and of building up souls 
in Christ. Deut. xxxi. 12, 13; Neh. viii. 5, 8 ; 
I. Cor. xii. 27-31; Luke ii. 46; Col. iii. 16; 
Eph. iv. 11-16. 

(1.) The Sunday-school is a school. It is 
for the teaching rather than the preaching of the 
Gospel, although it should attend to both. It 



j8 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

involves the processes of teaching, of question- 
ing, of personal application, of hand-to-hand 
effort in the development of thought and of 
self-activity. It is in fulfillment of the divine 
command, "Go, teach." It is in imitation of 
the divine example of Him who spake as never 
man spake, the great Teacher, who used illus- 
trations and asked questions, and made direct, 
personal application, who taught individuals 
and small groups, and elicited from his pupils 
remarks, opinions, thoughts, questions, etc., of 
their own. It is the Church becoming now 
what all the followers of Christ were at the be- 
ginning — disciples. 

(2.) The Sunday-school is a department of 
the Church of Christ. 

(3.) The Sunday-school is a school of tlic 
word of Christ. 

(4.) The Sunday-school is designed to bring 
souls to Christ. 

(5.) The Sunday school is designed to build 
tip souls in Christ 

(6.) The Sunday-school is therefore designed 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 39 

J or the old as well as the young. Its true motto 
is not ''Feed my lambs," but "Feed my 
lambs, Feed my sheep." 

Class Drill on the Place and Purpose of 
the Sunday-school. 

1. Recite the three statements as to what the 
Sunday-school is not. 

2. Recite the fourth statement and the six 
subordinate definitions of the Sunday-school. 



TEACHING PRIMARY CLASSES. 

O thou bright thing, fresh from the hands of God ! 

The motions of thy dancing limbs are swayed 

By the unceasing music of thy being. 

Nearer I seem to God while gazing on thee. 

'T is ages since he made his youngest star ; 

His hands were on thee as 'twere yesterday, 

Thou later Revelation ! Silver stream, 

Breaking with laughter from the lake divine, 

Whence all things flow ! O bright and singing babe, 

What wilt thou be hereafter !" 

Alex. Smith. 



#0 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

I. — Lesson Mottoes concerning the Least of 
all: 

Ascertain the circumstances under which 
the following words were spoken, and examine 
the entire passages of which they are parts: 

He was much displeased. Mark x. 14. 

A child left to himself. Prov. xxix. 15. 

Teach us what we shall do unto the child. Judges 
xiii. 8. 

What manner of child shall this be ! Luke i. 66. 

A right way . . . for our little ones. Ezraviii. 21. 

From a child. II. Tim. iii. 15. 

The Lord called Samuel. I. Sam. iii. 8. 

Children taught of the Lord. Isa. liv. 13. 

Jesus . . . took a child, and set him by him. Luke 
ix. 47. 

In his arms. Mark x. 16. 

The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit. Luke i. 80. 

And a little child shall lead them. Isa. xi. 6. 

As a little child. Mark x. 15. 

II. — Important Facts concerning the Least 
of all : 

1. They are the dearest of all. 

2. They are the weakest of all. 

3. They are the strongest of all. 

4. They are the purest of all. 






How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 4.1 

5. They are the most accessible of all. 

6. They are the most susceptible of all. 

7. They are the most promising of all. 

III. — Important Lessons from the Least of 

all: 

1. Concerning the Christian's Relations. Rom. viii. 
14-17. 

2. Concerning the Christian's Need. Matt. vi. 8-13. 

3. Concerning the Christian's Spirit Matt, xviii. 1-4 ;. 
Eph. v. 1. 

4. Concerning the Christian's Power. II. Cor. xii. 9 ; 
Luke ix. 48. 

IV. — The Best Teachers for the Least of all : 

1. The Parents. 

2. The Preacher. 

3. The Primary Teacher. 

V. — Conditions of Success in teaching the 
Least of all : 

1. The Place comfortable and attractive. 

2. The Teacher affectionate and skillful. 

3. The Assistants enthusiastic and untiring. 

4. The Appliances suitable and abundant. 

5. The Teaching clear and practical. 

6. The Watch-care impartial and continuous. 

7. The Inspiration divine and all-pervading. 



/p Hon 1 to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

THE ENGLISH BIBLE. 

i. Nine noble names in connection with the 
English Bible. 

W. T. C. R. C. C. \Y. P. J. 

(i) John Wiclif. 

(2) William Tyndale. 

(3) Miles Coverdale. 

(4) John Rogers. 

(5) Thomas Cromwell. 

(6) Archbishop Cranmer. 

(7) William Whittingham. 

(8) Archbishop Parker. 

(9) King James I. 

2. Nine notable memoranda in connection 
with the English Bible. 

(1) John Wiclif, (born 1324, died 1384.) 
He began on the book of Revelation, and fin- 
ished the New Testament in 1380, and the 
whole Bible was finished in 1382. A part of 
the Old Testament was the work of his friend 
Nicholas de Hereford. 

(2) William Tyndale, (born 1484, burned at 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 43 

the stake 1536.) The printing of his English 
translation of the New Testament was begun in 
Cologne in 1525, and finished in Worms in 
1526. His Pentateuch was printed in 1530. 
He translated some other parts of the Old 
Testament in 153 1. The New Testament was 
revised in 1534, and again in 1535. 

(3) Miles Coverdale (born 1487, died 1569). 
His translation of the Bible was printed at 
Antwerp, in 1535. It was dedicated to 
Henry VIII. 

(4) John Rogers (born about 1500, burned 
at the stake 1555). In 1537 he issued what is 
known as "Matthew's Bible," the name of 
Thomas Matthew appearing on the title-page. 
A revision of this was issued in 1539 by Rich- 
ard Taverner, a learned lawyer. 

(5) Thomas Cromwell (born 1490, died 
1540). He was an eminent statesman, and 
Secretary of State in the time of Henry VIII. , 
and one of the leaders in the English Reforma- 
tion. In 1539, under the editorship of Cover- 



dj. How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

dale, he caused to be published the " Great 
Bible." 

(6) Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Can- 
terbury (born 1489, died 1556). In 1854 he 
issued a second edition of the " Great Bible," 
with an introduction by himself. This and the 
subsequent editions are known as " Cranmer's 
Bible." 

(7) William Whittingham (born 1524, died 
1579). He was one of many Protestants who 
fled to the continent during the reign of Mary. 
In Geneva he translated the New Testament in 
1557. He was also one of the company of 
English scholars who, assisted by Calvin and 
Beza, translated the entire Bible into English, 
and published it in Geneva, in 1560. This is 
known as the " Genevan Bible." 

(8) Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Can- 
terbury (born 1504, died 1575). In 1568 a new 
revision of the Bible was issued under his 
supervision. He divided the work among 
twelve or fifteen learned men, and, as the most 
of these were bishops, this Bible is known as 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 4.5 

the "Bishops' Bible. " It is also sometimes 
called "Parker's Bible." 

[A Roman Catholic translation of the Bible 
from the Latin Vulgate was published — the 
New Testament at Rheims, in 1582, and the 
Old Testament at Douay, in 1609.] 

(9) King James I. (born 1566, died 1625). 
The "Authorized Version," as it is called, 
was suggested to King James in 1604, by Dr. 
John Reynolds, President of Corpus Christi 
College, Oxford. The king appointed fifty- 
four learned men to make the revision. The 
names of only forty-seven of these are now 
known. They began their work in 1607, and 
in 161 1 the Bible was published. 

3. Five facts about the first things in connec- 
tion with the English Bible : 

(1) The first complete translation of the 
whole Bible into English— Wiclifs— 1380, 1382. 

(2) The first New Testament printed in 
English— Tyndale's— 1525, 1526. 

(3) The first Bible printed in English — Cov- 
erdale's — 1535. 



zf.6 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

(4) The first English Bible issued by royal 
authority — Coverdale's — edition of 1537. 

(5) The first division of the Bible into verses, 
as we now have them, was begun by Whitting- 
ham in his New Testament in 1557, and com- 
pleted in the Genevan Bible in 1560. Before 
this the chapters were divided into parts distin- 
guished by letters from A to D. 

4. The revision of the English Bible. 

Begun in England in 1870 and in America 
in 1872. Fifty-two learned men worked on it 
in England, and twenty-six in America. It is 
now finished. It is not a new translation, but 
a revision of the former translation. 



TEN TEMPERANCE LESSONS. 

BY DR. J. H. VINCENT. 

Lesson I. 
Intemperance is the excessive use of anything y 
good or bad. The most common form of intern- 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 4.J 

perance is that produced by the use of intoxicating 
liqnors, which are such liquors as contain alcohol. 
Alcohol is a poison, and is never found in any 
living thing till it begins to decay and die. 
Intoxicating liquors are made of rotten fruit and 
of grain; those in most common use are brandy, 
whisky, rum, gin, beer, wine, and cider. The 
ordinary result of the use of intoxicating 
liquors is drunkemiess, which brings with it woe, 
sorrow, contentions, babblings, and wottnds with- 
out cause. It is wrong to use intoxicating 
liquors as a beverage or drink. We have no 
right to injure ourselves, or tempt others to do so. 
The rule of total abstinence from all that can 
intoxicate is taught by the Holy Bible and by the 
good sense of mankind. 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

What is intemperance ? 

What is the most common form of intemperance ? 

What are intoxicating liquors ? 

What is alcohol ? 

How are intoxicating liquors made ? 

What are the intoxicating liquors in common use? 

What is the result of the use of these liquors ? 



/j.8 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 



What does drunkenness bring ? 

Why is it wrong to use intoxicating liquors ? 

By what is the rule of total abstinence taught ? 



Lesson II. — Physical Effect. 

Alcohol is a poison. The tendency of all 
poisons when taken into the system is to destroy 
life. Doses of pure alcohol have bee?i known to 
cause instant death. Intoxicating liquors do not 
always kill at once ; some of them contain but 
little alcohol. When taken in small quantities 
they irritate the stomach, retard digestion, impair 
muscular action, derange the brain and nervous 
system, render the blood impure, and disturb the 
entire vital organism. These liquors 7iever fulfill 
the uses of food ; they do not nourish or sustain 
the body ; they do not give it warmth or strength. 
They stimulate — that is, they get strength out 
of the body, but they do not add any strength. 
They whip tip the poor body till its strength and 
life are gone, and it dies under the lash. Delirium 
tremens is the most terrible form of disease 
caused by the use of intoxicating liquors. 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. /j.g 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

What is alcohol ? 

What is the tendency of alcohol when taken into the 
system ? 

Does alcohol ever kill instantly ? 

Why do not all intoxicating liquors kill at once ? 

What do intoxicating liquors do ? 

Are intoxicating liquors food ? 

Do they nourish and sustain the system? 

Do they give it warmth and strength ? 

How do they stimulate ? 

What is the most terrible disease caused by the use of 
intoxicating liquors ? 

Lesson III. — Mental and Moral Effect. 

The effects of the use of intoxicating liquors 
are not confined to the body, but through the 
body reach the mind and the heart. The senses 
are so clouded that the mind does not receive right 
impressions ; the man thinks himself very strong, 
or very wise, or very rich ; his judgment is im- 
paired, his will is weakened, his conscience de- 
throned, his baser passions are arotised, he thinks 
impure and murderous thoughts, lie speaks vile and 
blasphemous words, he does cruel and violent acts. 



jo How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

Delirium tremens is as much a mental disorder as 
a physical disease — the blistered, burning brain 
frenzies the mind, and the poor sufferer thinks 
himself in great danger from enemies who pursue. 
He sees hideous objects, snakes and devils, who 
leer in his face, tear his flesh, and hiss and writhe 
in his hair. He dares not be left alone, but cries 
to men, and to God to help and save, or, with ter- 
rible oaths, goes out into the drunkards' eternity. 
There are the results of the use of intoxicating 
liquors, lessened or increased according to the 
amount used, and the power of the man to 
endure. 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

Are the effects of intoxicating liquors confined to the 
body? 

How is the mind affected ? 

How the will ? 

How the judgment ? 

How the conscience ? 

What effect upon the baser passions ? 

What does the drunkard think and speak ? 

What does the drunkard do ? 

Describe delirium tremens. 



How to Study a Sunday-sclwol Lesson. 51 

Are these results sure to follow the use of intoxicating 
liquors ? 

Lesson IV. — Extent of Intemperance. 

It is estimated that there are in the United 
States of America 600,000 common drunkards. 
Of these 60,000 annually go down to drunkards' 
graves. The Bible says, "No drunkard shall 
inherit the kingdom of God." It is impossible 
to know how many have begun to drink. There 
are engaged in the work of making drunkards 
over 40,000 who make intoxicating liquors, and 
over 500,000 who sell them. God has said, 
"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, 
that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him 
drunken also." Not less than 40,000,000 
bushels of grain are annually used in the manu- 
facture of these liquors. This 40,000,000 
bushels would make 600,000,000 loaves of bread, 
weighing four pounds each. This would give 
seventy-nine loaves to every family in the United 
States. It is wrong to waste grain and fruit, of 
which God said, "To you it shall be for meat. " 



£2 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

He did not intend man should make of it that 
which poisons and destroys. Many die every 
year for lack of bread. Jesus said of feeding 
the hungry, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one 
of the least of these, ye did it not to me." 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

How many common drunkards are in the United States ? 

How many die every year ? 

What does the Bible say of drunkards ? 

How many persons are engaged in making intoxicating 
liquors ? 

How many in selling ? 

What has God said of these ? 

How many bushels of grain are annually wasted in this 
traffic ? 

How many loaves of bread ? 

What has God said of the fruits of the earth ? 

What has he said of feeding the hungry ? 

Lesson V. — Pauperism and Insanity. 

Intemperance is the cause of pauperism, for 
men are thus rendered unfit to labor, and they 
destroy what they have earned. God's law is, 
" In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread/ ' 
There are over one hundred and sixteen thousand 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 53 

paupers in the United States who are supported 
at the expense of the several States. Besides 
these there are many more who receive support 
from private charitable associations, such as 
orphan asylums and homes for the friendless. 
It is estimated that two thirds of all this desti- 
tution is caused by intemperance. Insanity is 
the destruction, in whole or in part, of the 
human reason. More than one half of all the 
insanity in any land is caused, directly or in- 
directly, by intemperance. The brain is the 
organ of the body most concerned in the exer- 
cise of the mind or reason. When this becomes 
inflamed or disturbed by intemperance the per- 
son becomes more or less insane. Reason is 
the gift of God, and man lias no right to throw it 
away. 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

How does intemperance cause pauperism ? 
What does God say of labor ? 

How many persons in the United States supported at the 
expense of the State ? 

Are there others ? % 

What part of this destitution is caused by intemperance? 



3^ How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

What is insanity ? 
Does intemperance cause insanity ? 

What organ of the body is most concerned in the exer- 
cise of reason? 

Who gave man reason ? 

Has he a right to throw it away ? 

Lesson VI. — Crime. 

Crime is a violation of God's laws, or of the 
righteous laws of man. More than three-quarters of 
all the crimes are committed under the influence 
of intemperance, or are caused by it. It arouses 
the vilest passions of the body and mind. The 
drunkard sins in abusing his body, in clouding his 
mind, in shutting up his heart to influences of 
good. The Bible says, " If any man defile the 
temple of God, him shall God destroy ; for the 
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. " 
The drunkard sins against his family ; he is not a 
good husband, or a good parent. Home ought to 
be a model of heaven ; the drunkard's can not be. 
He sins against society. Every citizen should 
contribute something to the general good. He 
should set an example worthy of imitation ; he 



How to Stiidy a Sunday-school Lesson. 55 

should refrain from the very " appearance of 
evil." He sins against God; for every obliga- 
tion to himself, to his family, and to society, is 
included in his duty to his Maker. God says, 
"Ye are not your own; ye are bought with a 
price ;" and, "The wages of sin is death. M 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

What is crime ? 

What proportion of all crime is caused by intemperance ? 

How is intemperance the cause of crime ? 

What does the Bible say of the body ? 

How does the drunkard sn against himself? 

How does the drunkard sin against his family ? 

How does he sin against society ? 

How against God ? 

What does God say of our right to ourselves ? 

What does he say of sin? 

Lesson VII. — Government — 1. 

Virtue and intelligence in the ruler, and vir- 
tue, intelligence and liberty in the subject, are 
the foundation of prosperity and perpetuity in 
any government. In a republic the people are 
both rulers and subjects ; therefore in this form 



56 How to Study a Sunday -school Lesson. 

more than any other the people must be virtu- 
ous, intelligent, and free. Intemperance is the 
enemy of virtue, the promoter of vice y the foe of 
intelligence, the mother of ignorance, the destroyer 
of liberty, tJte herald of slavery. The United 
States has more than 141,000 schools, public 
and private ; these employ more than 221, coo 
teachers. There are in the United States 150,- 
000 retail liquor saloons, which employ about 
500,000 men. This does not include manufac- 
turers and wholesale establishments. The cost 
of our schools is about $95,500,000; of our 
intoxicating liquors, $600,000,000. 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

What are the foundations of prosperity and perpetuity in 
any government ? 

What are the people in a republic ? 

What must they be ? 

In the light of this truth, what is intemperance ? 

How many schools in the United States ? 

How many teachers ? 

How many places where liquors are sold ? 

How many men employed ? 

How much do our schools cost ? 

How much do our liquors cost ? 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. $j 

Lesson VIII. — Government — 2. 
The Bible and the Christian Sabbath are the 
best preservers of public and private virtue. 
The liquor traffic is opposed to these. It 
scoffs at the Bible and disregards the Sabbath. 
There are more than 65,000 Churches and 
85,000 ministers; whole expense of Churches 
and benevolent purposes does not greatly ex- 
ceed $50,000,000 annually, while $600,000,000 
are spent for liquors. Only the mighty power 
of prayerful, Christian effort can save a nation 
bearing such a burden of crime. God says, 
" Righteousness exalteth a nation ; but sin is a 
reproach to any people." "What evil thing 
is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath 
day ?" " Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel 
by profaning the Sabbath." 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

What are the best preservers of public and private 
virtue ? 

How does the liquor traffic treat these ? 
How many Churches in the United States ? 
How many ministers ? 



jS How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

How much money is spent for liquors ? 

How much money contributed for religious purposes ? 

What can save the nation ? 

What does God say of natic 

What of s 

lat of the Sabbath? 



Lesson IX. — The Bible and Temperance. 

Every form of error seeks to hide behind 
Bible command or Bible example. It has been 
thus with the vice of intemperance. There are 
no commendations of the use of intoxicating 
liquors in the Old or the New Testament. 
There are many words having different mean- 
ings which are translated " wine " in our Eng- 
lish Bible. In every instance where wine is 
termed a blessing or as typical of spritual grace, 
the word in the original signifies either the solid 
fruit, wine in the cluster, or the sweet wine, 
newly pressed from the grape, and containing 
no alcohol. This new sweet wine was in com- 
mon use among the people, who also preserved 
it by putting it in leathern bottles and burying 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson, jg 

them in the earth. Intoxicating liquors are in 
many places condemned, and used to symbolize 
the wrath of God. God commands total 
abstinence when he says, " Look not upon the 
wine when it is red." 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

Where does error seek to hide ? 

Has it been thus with the sin of intemperance? 

Does the Bible ever commend the use of intoxicating 
wine ? 

What is translated "wine" in our English Bible? 

Did it contain alcohol ? 

What does the word " wine " mean when termed a bless- 
ing? 

Was it in use among the people ? 

How was it preserved ? 

Does the Bible condemn the use of intoxicating liquors ? 

What is the command concerning them ? 

Lesson X. — The Bible and Temperance. 

Samson, the strongest man, was a total ab- 
stainer. Daniel, the beautiful, and good, and wise, 
would not drink of the wicked king's wine. So 
with Jonadab and his sons, who stood before the 
Lord always. The Bible in many places con- 



60 How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 

demns men and nations who were girilty of the sin 
of drunkenness. The Saviour, in the celebration 
of the feast of the passover, did not disobey the 
Mosaic rule that nothing containing leaven or 
fermentation should be used in the sacred cere- 
mony. He calls what he and his disciples drank 
"the fruit of the vine." Intoxicating wine 
is not the fruit of the vine, but of decay and 
death. He used what was drunk as the symbol 
of his blood, which is life-giving. Alcohol is life- 
destroying. So in the marriage at Cana of Gali- 
lee there is nothing in the narration to indicate 
that the Saviour made intoxicating wine. The 
word used in the original does not imply it. 
Jesus, the Son of God — one with God — did not 
make and offer that which his Father had cursed. 
He did not thus " manifest forth his glory." 12 

QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. 

What was Samson ? 
What about Daniel? 
What of Jonadab ? 

What does the Bible say of drunken men and nations ? 
Did the Saviour disobey the Mosaic rule in the feast of 
the passover ? 



How to Study a Sunday-school Lesson. 61 

What term did he use ? 

What did the wine symbolize ? 

Did the Saviour make intoxicating wine at Cana ? 

Did Jesus' teachings harmonize with his Father's ? 

Did he manifest his glory in making intoxicating wine? 



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